Siebert Williams Shank Strengthens Public Finance Operation by Hiring Industry Veteran Rob Hillman

New Boston office and public finance hires signal firm’s growing commitment to sector

Boston, MA — June 16, 2025 — Siebert Williams Shank & Co. (SWS) continues to bolster its position in the municipal finance market with the addition of Managing Director Rob Hillman, a 27-year public finance industry veteran who senior-managed over $50 billion for municipal issuers across sectors and product areas at Morgan Stanley and Barclays Capital. Hillman will be based in SWS’ new Boston office, signaling the firm’s deepening commitment to providing services for issuers in the Northeast.

Rob Hillman was previously an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley.

Hillman will focus primarily on bolstering the firm’s regional coverage in New England along with providing innovative solutions to select issuer clients with large, multiyear capital improvement plans and outstanding debt portfolios. He will work under Giles Nicholson as part of SWS’ Quantitative Solutions Group, a public finance initiative launched by the firm in 2024. The group coordinates ideas generation and execution across the entire public finance client base, with a focus on products and strategies that are tailored to specific client needs and market conditions.

“Rob brings us in-depth experience in the development and execution of complex financing plans for some of the most sophisticated clients in the industry,” said Nicholson, Head of the Quantitative Solutions Group. “Most recently, his experience and leadership in creating structures to improve the tender process has provided added value and efficiency that has directly benefited clients he has worked with. We are very excited to have him join our team and look forward to working with him.”

Hillman previously worked as an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley for four years where he developed and implemented creative solutions to challenging financings in the surface transportation and capital markets spaces. He will carry that focus to SWS, building on the firm’s strong history of providing innovative solutions to issuers in the New England region and throughout the country.

“I was really drawn to the collaborative culture at Siebert Williams Shank, combined with the firm’s entrepreneurial spirit,” Hillman said. “The firm’s respect and standing in the industry is well-established at this point, and the continued growth of their public finance team is very exciting. The firm is focused on large issuers and complex transactions, and I look forward to being part of their talented team.”

Hillman’s arrival adds more momentum to a firm hitting its stride. SWS’ public finance team senior-managed $6.8 billion in Q1 2025 par amount on 23 bond issuances, more than double the firm’s volume during the same period in 2024.

“Rob Hillman has a proven track record for delivering tailored solutions to help state and local governments achieve their financial objectives,” said Gary Hall, President and Head of Infrastructure & Public Finance at SWS. “We are looking forward to leveraging his technical expertise for the benefit of our muni issuer clientele.”

In addition to Hillman, Siebert Williams Shank is adding several public finance bankers to beef up the firm’s work across core regions and sectors.

Arlene Douglas joins SWS as a New York City-based Vice President providing municipal finance investment banking technical support to the Higher Education & Not-for-Profit group. Douglas previously spent seven years as a public finance investment banker at Goldman Sachs, specializing in the higher education sector and working with a broad range of private research universities, liberal arts colleges and flagship state universities.

Alex Tumolo joins SWS as a Philadelphia-based Vice President providing municipal finance investment banking technical support to certain states in the Midwest and Southeast regions. Tumolo is an experienced public finance professional with expertise gained at Stifel, Nicolaus & Company covering local and major government issuers across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Samuel Donchi is a New York City-based analyst providing municipal finance investment banking technical support to the Transportation group. Donchi previously spent a year at PNC as a public finance investment banking analyst based in Philadelphia.

Nikil Sirivolu is a New York City-based analyst providing municipal finance investment banking technical support to the Transportation group. Sirivolu recently completed the two-year rotational analyst program at BAM Mutual as a fixed income credit analyst in the public finance group.

Christopher Hamama is a Detroit-based analyst providing municipal finance investment banking technical support to the Chicago/Midwest team. His past experiences include leading strategy and business development engagements at a cybersecurity firm where he developed key projects in improving client engagement and forging strategic partnerships.

In addition to these hires, SWS is kicking off its summer internship program on June 16, an eight-week immersive program featuring nine college student interns — from the University of Chicago, University of Alabama, Howard University, Oakland University, Morehouse College, Northeastern University and Georgia Southern University — and three high school interns from New York and Chicago.

The interns will be working in SWS’ public finance and corporate finance departments, meeting teams through the firm’s subsidiaries, learning about different sectors, and participating in trainings and other extracurriculars.

Dually headquartered in New York, NY and Oakland, CA, SWS is an independent non-bank financial services firm that offers investment banking, sales and trading, research, and advisory services. Its mission is to exceed expectations through value-added results and leave a lasting impact on the sectors, corporations, and communities it serves. SWS counts over 80 Fortune 100 companies among its clients. SWS ranked third as senior manager (true economics to bookrunner) of negotiated municipal financings issued through the top 10 cities in the U.S. and their related entities from 2020-2024.